US uses veto power, blocks UNSC resolution calling for Gaza ceasefire
6 Min Read
Failure to pass the resolution comes although 13 countries voted in favor of it, while the UK abstained.
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United States representative to the UN Robert Wood raises his hand to vote against a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, essentially vetoing the resolution, in the United Nations headquarters, in New York, the United States, on December 8, 2023. (AFP)
The United States on Friday vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, "diplomatically" shielding its ally.
The US deputy representative at the UN, Robert Wood, said the resolution was "divorced from reality" and "would have not moved the needle forward on the ground."
#BREAKING United States vetoes Security Council draft resolution that would have demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, and immediate and unconditional release of all hostages
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) December 8, 2023
VOTE
In Favour: 13
Against: 1 (US)
Abstain: 1 (UK) pic.twitter.com/hY0YcJ1JKF
Thirteen Security Council members voted in favor of a brief draft resolution, presented through the UAE, and Britain abstained. The vote came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked the UN charter’s Article 99 for it on Wednesday.
"The United Arab Emirates is deeply disappointed," said the representative of the UAE who had sponsored the resolution calling for a ceasefire.
"Regrettably... this council is unable to demand a humanitarian ceasefire."
The US resort to its veto power comes after the Palestinian Health Ministry revealed that the death toll from the Israeli aggression on Gaza has risen to 17,487 martyrs, over 70% of which are children and women, with 56,400 citizens injured with various injuries since the launch of the Israeli war on October 7.
The Ministry added that in the past hours of Friday, over 300 Palestinians were martyred and 600 others injured due to the Israeli bombing of various areas of the Gaza Strip.
Still, the US felt a resolution for a ceasefire was "divorced from reality"; a devastating reality the Palestinians have to wake up to every day.
Of course, Washington defended its veto and attacked the resolution's sponsors, criticizing them for "rushing it through" and leaving the call for an unconditional ceasefire unchanged.
"This resolution still contains a call for an unconditional ceasefire... it would leave Hamas in place able to repeat what it did on October 7," said US deputy UN representative Robert Wood.
US opposes immediate Gaza ceasefire at UN meeting
The United States said it opposed an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the UN Security Council meeting on Friday.
"While the United States strongly supports the durable peace, in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security, we do not support calls for an immediate ceasefire," said Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood.
Wood added, "This would only plant the seeds for the next war because Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace to see a two-state solution."
In contrast, two days earlier, a cohort of White House interns, in a letter addressed to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, urged the administration to push for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
The letter, supported by over 40 interns from the Fall 2023 term working across White House and executive offices, accuses Biden of neglecting the "pleas of the American people." The interns specifically mention the ongoing aggression on Gaza and describe it as a "genocide of the Palestinian people."
They demanded the administration to heed the voices of the American people and call for a permanent ceasefire. The letter reflects growing internal pressure on Biden regarding his stance on "Israel's" aggression and invasion, which has received backlash and threats of abandonment in his reelection.
Arab FMs, in the US, call for Gaza ceasefire
The foreign ministers of several Arab countries and Turkey, on a visit to the United States, on Friday called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, urging Washington to support a UN resolution on a humanitarian ceasefire.
In return, several foreign ministers of several Arab nations and Turkey called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during a visit to the United States on Friday, urging Washington to support a UN resolution on a humanitarian ceasefire.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said, "Our message is we believe it is absolutely necessary to end the fighting immediately."
This comes after the UN Security Council was expected to vote on a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Strip.
Bin Farhan said he regretted that stopping the bloodshed "doesn't seem to be a priority for the international community."
"The solution is a ceasefire," said Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. At the same time, his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi called putting an end to the fighting the number one priority, adding that "if the UN Security Council fails to adopt the resolution that is simply calling for humanitarian pauses, that is giving Israel a license to continue its massacre against civilians in Gaza."
The delegation -- made up of officials from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority -- was to meet later Friday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
"I certainly would hope that our partners in the US will do more... we certainly believe they can do more," the Saudi Minister said.
'The best we can do'
This meeting came as four previous drafts had been rejected by the Security Council.
Deputy US Ambassador, Robert Wood, stated, "We again think that the best thing that we can do, all of us, for the situation on the ground, is to let the quiet, behind-the-scene diplomacy that is happening, continue".
UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk described the situation two days ago as an "apocalyptic" humanitarian circumstance, emphasizing the high risk of atrocities being committed by "Israel".
"Civilians in Gaza continue to be relentlessly bombarded by Israel and collectively punished -- suffering death, siege, destruction and deprivation of the most essential human needs such as food, water, lifesaving medical supplies and other essentials on a massive scale," he said in a press conference.
